Prospecting Immersable for Gold or P.I.G.

Abstract

The Prospecting Immersable for Gold or P.I.G. is a submersible unite which is tethered to an Ocean surface platform and operates on the ocean floor. The P.I.G. has a hydraulically driven tilling drum that lifts and laterally discards rocks and debris while stirring the ocean floor allowing a suction port to draw gold bearing sand and gravel through a hose to the surface platform for processing. The P.I.G. traverses the ocean floor, self propelled by a hydraulically driven paddle wheel system designed to oscillate the tilling drum for thorough harvesting. The P.I.G. primarily prospects the ocean floor during the limited storm free days of the summer months then converts to mining the ocean floor controlled from the frozen ocean surface daring the winter months.

I claim: 
     
         1 . A “Suction Port”, having the characteristic of an elongated shallow rectangular opening of the suction body adjacent to and along the width of the tilling drum, the port sucks ocean water, sand and gravel from the ocean floor, which has been stirred up by the tilling drum.
 a. The “Suction Port” of  claim 1  whereas the port is beveled to allow the suction body to skid across the ocean floor. 
 b. The “Suction Port” of  claim 1  whereas the port has the upper surface slotted, to allow the tilling fingers to pass through and clear the oversize material that will be sucked up against the port. 
 c. The “Suction Port” of  claim 1  whereas the port is partitioned sufficiently across it's width to act in conjunction with the tilling drum fingers so that it has the feature of sizing or screening out oversize material. 
 
     
     
         2 . A “Tilling Drum”, having the characteristic of a cylinder, operating on it's side with fingers fastened to the drum circumference.
 a. The “Tilling Drum”, of  claim 2  whereas the fingers are spaced in rows sufficiently located to act in conjunction with the suction port to have the feature of sizing or screening out oversize material. 
 b. The “Tilling Drum”, of  claim 2  whereas the rows of fingers are sequentially staggered radiating outward either side of the drum center thereby having the feature of lifting and tumbling rocks to either side of the drum. 
 c. The “Tilling Drum”, of  claim 2  whereas the drum side surface (circumference) acts as the skid sliding along the ocean floor limiting the depth the fingers may till. 
 d. The “Tilling Drum”, of  claim 2  whereas the tilling fingers pass through the suction port top slots and rotate through the port opening clearing the oversize material that will be sucked up against the port. 
 d. The “Tilling Drum” of  claim 2  whereas the drum will rotate counter to the rotation of the paddle wheel drive and counter to the propelled direction of the unit for the purpose of clearing the rock and tilling the ocean floor before the unit. 
 
     
     
         3 . A “Dual Paddle Wheels”, drive system having the characteristic of two paddle wheels, each independently driven in either forward or reverse directions.
 a. The “Dual Paddle Wheels”, of  claim 3  whereas the paddle wheels are used for steering by coordinated operation of forward back and stop commands. 
 b. The “Dual Paddle Wheels”, of  claim 3  whereas the paddle wheels will have the nature of non sequential contact with the ocean floor thereby oscillating the Tilling Drum resulting in as more thorough tilling effect. 
 c. The “Dual Paddle Wheels”, of  claim 3  whereas a set of gravity positioned spuds (spikes) are set in front of each paddle and are driven into the ocean floor upon each rotation of the paddle wheel thereby giving more thrust to the paddle wheel drive system.